The invention concerns a method and apparatus for the coating of textile flat bodies, especially carpet panels.
Carpet panels, often also called carpet tiles, are in accordance with the present state of the art manufactured by continuous processes. Endless woven or tufted goods from rolls are continuously coated with at least one layer of a coating material, for example PVC, and after solidification of the coating material the carpet so formed is stamped or cut into panels as explained for example in GB 2,057,353A and EP 0,278,690A or in Chapter 5.2 "Carpet Rear Coating" in Kunststoff-Handbuch No. 7, Carl Hahset Press, 1983. Because of the large width and length of the goods, the method requires very expensive apparatus as well as large running lengths of carpet material. To operate the method economically very large throughputs are required which greatly reduces flexibility. Moreover, through stamping of carpet panels by means of the window technique large amounts of waste occur.